


Reckless

by Anichibi



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 16:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18472375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anichibi/pseuds/Anichibi





	Reckless

How long had they been going at this for?

Akihiko was losing track of what floor they were on, the corridors all looked the same and his energy was beginning to drain. Time seemed to go by a lot slower in Tartarus, and while he enjoyed the rush of adrenaline as they entered a fight, that feeling would quickly be overshadowed by the way his knees would shake and his head would spin when he used his Persona far too much. However, he was good at pressing on even when it felt like every part of his body wanted to turn into a heap on the floor and never move again.

This time was an exception.

The Shadows they faced were weak to electricity, and Akihiko saw this as another chance for him to help end the fight quickly. The others looked tired, probably far more than he was. He pressed the cold metal of the Evoker to his forehead, not hearing Minato's voice telling him to stop, and the last bit of energy he had was sapped instantly as he pulled the trigger. After the spell was cast, a different enemy rammed into him and, for a moment, he blacked out.

His knees buckled, everything was blurry, his head was spinning, and he saw the ground coming up to him in the haze. He suddenly stopped falling, feeling someone's arms supporting him, and heard voices speaking. They sounded like they were coming to him through a thick layer of cotton. He was flipped onto his back, and he couldn't process what was happening anymore. People, voices, they began to overwhelm him, and he didn't know what was happening. Someone was holding him, it seemed. Maybe they wouldn't mind if he passed out for a while here? His vision grew dark around the edges before going black completely, and that was the last thing he remembered before fading from consciousness.

He woke up again after what felt like only a few minutes in a hospital bed, a familiar shock of blue hair catching his attention. Minato was passed out, half his body on the bed while the rest of him hung off and sprawled out on the floor. He could hear music faintly playing from one of his headphones that must've falling off in his sleep. It was an oddly sweet sight, one that made him smile to himself. A breathy laugh made the other stir. Minato's eyes held the tired look they always had, his right eye peaking through his bangs. There was a sudden flash of surprise and relief as he sat up, as if he found it hard to believe Akihiko was awake. He seemed to ignore the cracking of his back from laying there for so long.

"You're awake..." Minato almost sounded surprised.

"Yeah, is that really so surprising?" Akihiko replied, still smiling as he tilted his head slightly to one side.

"Aki, you were sleeping for _days_. We were all worried about you. I was scared you pushed yourself too hard." Minato's eyes rarely met Akihiko's, his hands finding the other's as he spoke, soft hands fitting into rough and calloused ones.

" _You_ were scared? Somehow I find that hard to believe." Akihiko replied with a laugh that was more like a small puff of air than anything else. Despite his words, he squeezed Minato's hands to affirm that he was alright.

"You've been using up almost all of your energy and taking a lot of harsh blows in our Tartarus runs lately. I've been hesitant to take you with me because I was scared this would happen. I should've really hesitated more." Minato's eyes fell to his lap, occasionally glancing up at his hands as he rubbed circles in the back of Akihiko's hand.

"Hey, don't go blaming yourself over this. It was my fault for being so stupid in the first place." Akihiko slipped one of his hands from Minato's and grabbed his shoulder to get him to look up.

"I'm the leader, it's my fault for not trying to stop you from overdoing it. I-"

A hand on his chin kept Minato from looking down again, lifting his head up to let Akihiko look him in the eyes. "You idiot. None of this was your fault. Don't tell me it was."

The two stared each other down before Minato finally broke eye contact. "Fine, I get it, I couldn't do much to stop you." He half muttered, pushing the other's arm down. "Just don't be an idiot and pull something like that again, okay?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

"That's good. Were you hurt anywhere?" Minato tried to look for any injuries.

"I'm okay, don't worry. Nothing's broken or anything. You can relax."

"But what if-" Akihiko squeezed Minato's hand, making his voice stop and his eyes meet his own.

"I'm fine. You can relax."

"If... If you say so." Silence took over as Minato's eyes wandered, looking anywhere but Akihiko's face. His hands had stilled long ago, and part of Akihiko missed the feeling of him rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. "You know, I've barely left here since you got hurt. I was... I was terrified you might not recover."

"... Did I look that bad?" Akihiko's voice was soft. He took note of the way Minato's face seemed to twist in pain at the memory.

"You looked awful. You were so pale, and you had so many cuts and bruises and you looked so exhausted, like you'd been pushing yourself to your breaking point for days. You looked...weak. I think... I think that's the part that scared me the most." One of his hands slipped from Akihiko's and came up to his face, the heel of his palm pressing against his eye. A sob made his body visibly shake, and Akihiko's free hand quickly came up next to his face, ready to offer any comfort he could.

The door flew open, and both Akihiko and Minato nearly jumped as their gazes fell to the door. The other members of SEES came to visit. Minato, quickly remembering the state he was in, stood up and rushed out the door, head hung low to hide his face. No one stopped him, no one followed. Whatever it was was definitely a private matter.

Akihiko was allowed to leave after a quick examination, and the first thing he did was go find Minato. The dorms were his best bet and it didn't take long for him to find the young leader sitting on the floor next to his bed, head against the bedframe as he stared off into space. The door clicking shut behind him had snapped Minato back to reality, if only for an instant.

His headphones were on, and Akihiko heard a soft melody playing from them when he sat next to him. Minato was starting straight at the window, watching the rain pour down. Lightning far in the distance lit up the darkened sky. Akihiko tapped the other's shoulder to get his attention. "Are you going to talk to me?"

"Oh, yeah." Minato fiddled with his MP3 player for a few seconds before the music playing from the headphones stopped. He removed the headphones from his ears and turned himself slightly to face him better. "I'm sorry I ran off on you earlier, I just-"

"I'm not upset about that, don't worry."

"Then why did you want to talk to me?"

"I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." Akihiko's hand slipped into one of Minato's as the junior looked up at him in confusion.

"You were crying earlier. I've never seen you cry before." Akihiko answered Minato's unvoiced question.

"Oh..." Minato's eyes fell to his hand in Akihiko's, rubbing the gloved hand with his thumb. "Don't worry about it, I've just been having a rough week, that's all."

"Is it because of me?" Minato's eyes shot up to Akihiko, who refused to look him in the eye.

"Aki... Honestly, if I said it wasn't, I'd be lying, but..." Again, his gaze fell to their hands together on the floor. Akihiko squeezed Minato's hand. Minato did the same. "It's not entirely because of you. I've just been so stressed lately with all the schoolwork I've been behind on. Not to mention dealing with Tartarus. I've been running on nothing but coffee these past few days." He gave a humourless laugh. His gaze wouldn't move from the floor.

"And you say I'm the one that shouldn't be pushing himself."

"Can you blame me? I was worried sick about you. I could barely get myself to think about anything else except if you were okay." Minato's hand hide his face, and just like earlier a quiet sob ripped at his throat. Akihiko brought him into a tight embrace in an instant, hand tangling itself in his hair. Minato clung onto him like he'd disappear if he so much as slightly relaxed his grip. He kept his face hidden in Akihiko's shoulder, crying as softly as he could manage.

Akihiko rubbed his back, bitting his lip. What should he say? Should he say anything at all? He never thought something like this would happen. Minato was shaking, pulling Akihiko closer. Akihiko could feel the boy's nails dig into his clothes. Neither of them moved or spoke for what felt like ages.

It was at least a few minutes before Minato was all cried out, most of his body having relaxed in Akihiko's arms. "Feeling better?" Akihiko asked with the best smile he could manage. Minato lifted his head from Akihiko's shoulder, his red and puffy eyes just barely visible in the dimly lit room.

"Yeah. I'm better now." His head titled up slightly as his eyes looked up at Akihiko, and he dove into his chest for another tight hug. "Don't scare me like that ever again, you asshole."

Akihiko paused for a few seconds before hugging him back. "I won't. I promise you that."


End file.
